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[deathpending]

Good evening. I am Dr. Jonathan Reid, of London, England. I arrived here as I imagine many of you did, through those ghastly eggs.

Should you need a field surgeon or a physician's services, I offer both freely. You may find me in the infirmary or reach me through these devices. I regret that I have no resume or other prior reference to offer, only that I served in the War, and I'm accustomed to making do with very little.

Thank you for your time.

Comments

[sunmon]

Not badly.
I'm doing better, now.

[deathpending]

I am glad to hear it. If you require any further assistance, please do not hesitate to telephone me.

Whom am I speaking to?

[sunmon]

Alina Starkov. And thank you. You're very kind.
What war did you serve in?

[deathpending]

Not at all, Miss Starkov, merely doing my duty as a physician.

I served in the Great War, from 1914 to 1918, as a surgeon.

[sunmon]

Who was the Great War between? Was it on Earth?

[deathpending]

Yes, it was, fought in Europe. Named as it is the largest scale conflict in our history. [ ... ] At the time, that is.

[ But something else bothers him about her question — ]

What country are you from? I ask merely because your last name is quite characteristic of one of the countries I am familiar with.

[sunmon]

Ravka.
We don't have an Europe. But we have a great war.

[deathpending]

[ Ravka, not Russia. Close enough and not quite. Fascinating! ]

Ah, I see. Were you involved?

[sunmon]

War involves everyone.
But yes. I was a soldier.
Am.

[deathpending]

And is there much fighting to be done here as well?

[ He could've made it glib. To him, he was glad to cast off that shell — killing had been easier, and he'd killed more as a soldier than he ever had as a vampire. But to be drenched in it, to claim it so, no, that's a signifier of the trenches. ]

[sunmon]

How are you against giant moles?

[deathpending]

Never met one, but I am certain I would prefer not to!

[sunmon]

Most of the people in the aid station ran into them. It was less fighting and more a stampede.

[deathpending]

Should we adjust to living with them long term?

[ He noticed no corpses, no weapons turned on them, either. ]

[sunmon]

They're hard to kill.
We've been trying to relocate them. They're devastating to the supplies.

[deathpending]

[ Hard to kill, for a soldier. For a vampire, nothing is. Jon ponders a moment, and, ]

That means they've been after essentials?

[sunmon]

They're just animals.
They're hungry. No different than bears in the woods.